


A fire can make you see what truly matters

by bookwars



Category: Supernatural, Supernatural: The Animation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fireman Dean, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Crack, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt/Comfort, I'm Sorry, Lawyer Sam Winchester, Prompt Fic, Protective Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28222668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwars/pseuds/bookwars
Summary: Prompt: There’s been where A and B present. Everybody rushes out to safety; A notices B isn't there, panics, and rushes back inside. They rush back inside the burning building to find B injured. They make it but B won’t wake up and A is frantically trying to wake them. What happens next is up to you.
Relationships: Bobby Singer & Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Jody Mills & Dean Winchester, Jody Mills/Bobby Singer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	A fire can make you see what truly matters

Life can suck sometimes; Dean would often be the first person to point this out. He had seen enough death and destruction to last several lifetimes. However, lately, he has been seeing the beauty of living. He saw this in his brother’s growing family, in his rescue dog Miracle, and even his fellow firefighters. All these aspects made him want to be a better man, and not the man his father wanted him to be. Mainly, however, he saw it in best friend Cas.

The man, who had transferred to Dean’s unit five years ago, was the personification of sunshine. The man who brought Dean’s favorite pie on his first day of work, and every Thursday afterwards. The man who volunteered at the local homeless shelter, and kept bees at his home. The man who helped Dean pick out Miracle. The man who he may have had a little crush on. Okay, full on loved. There was just one problem though: Dean was a chicken when it came to feelings. These fears he thought were reasonable though. He felt unworthy of Cas’s love and time. He thought Cas was straight due to his ex-girlfriend coming to the station once. However, the biggest reason was that there was no way that Cas could love a man like him. Little did he know how wrong he was.

It was a normal day for the fire department; no calls had come in, so most of the department was cleaning the department or taking care of the truck. Dean and Bobby were going over some paperwork. Since John went on a beer run when Dean was 13 and never looked back, Bobby became Dean and his brother Sam's adoptive dad. He was a part of the reason that Dean became a firefighter when he was twenty-one; the other reason Dean never told anyone for personal reasons. This other reason, however, led to him being over protective of Sam. He was glad that Sam didn’t follow in his or Bobby’s footsteps and became a lawyer. He actually met his now wife Eileen because of a case. Sam would often stop by the firehouse to hang out on his lunch with the gang. This often led to teasing between the two and strengthening their relationship. It was Sam who was the first to try and push Dean to ask Cas out. If only Cas-

“Boy!”

“Huh, sorry Bobby. Zoned out for a second.”

“As I was saying, I think you should take over for me. I ain’t getting any younger, and I want a smooth transition. I think you are the best person for the job.” While Dean wasn’t shocked by the news that Bobby was retiring, he was shocked that Bobby was asking him to take over.

“You sure that-”

“You have been here the longest next to me. The team trusts you. You’re a great leader. Your a good man. There is no one I’d rather take my place.” The words stuck a cord with Dean.

“Thank you Bobby, I can have the paperwork to you at the end of the week.”

“Your welcome, son. Now, how are things with Cas going?”

“We aren’t dating, Bobby. You know that.”

“Well, the way you two have been looking at each other tells me differently. I would bet all the money in the world that you are going to walk out the door and Cas is going to be the first person you are going to tell.”

“Okay, Bobby. You keep telling yourself that. I’ve got to go and check on the crew. Make sure they haven’t destroyed my kitchen.” Dean said getting up from his chair and heading for the door.

“Yeah, I doubt Cas let them. See you later.”

“See yeah, Bobby.” Dean exited the room and began to make his way to the kitchen. A small grin crept onto his face. He was going to continue to do the work he loved to do; saving people, putting out fires, family business. In addition to that, he was going to be with the people that he loved. He couldn’t believe how good life was right now. Almost too good. Doubt began to creep into his mind, with negative thoughts drowning out the realistic ones. What if he was a terrible firehouse chief? What if he messed up? What if he got someone killed? What if-

“Dean, what's wrong? Did your meeting go okay?” Once again, Dean snapped out of his thoughts. Looking foreword, he saw Cas standing there with a look of concern on his face. He also came closer to him as if he didn’t want any extra ears hearing their conversation. Not wanting Cas to worry, he quickly responded: “Yeah, I think so.”

After waiting a few seconds, Cas motion for him to give him more details. Dean couldn’t speak; he too didn’t want to say anything in case other ears were listening, and had Bobby be accused of favoritism. Sensing his nervousness, Cas gave a quick look around the room before grabbing Dean and pulling him into a side room. Once the door closed and he checked the room for anyone, Cas turned back to Dean and waited for him to tell him the whole story. Realizing that it was okay, he took a breath and began to recount the meeting to Cas.

“Well, Bobby is retiring soon.”

“Good for him.” Cas said.

“Yeah, the old man deserves it. The news that he just dropped on me was the fact he wants me to be his replacement. He even gave me the paperwork to start the transfer.” Cas’s eyes grew happier and bright as he jumped for joy due to the news. He even let out a woop, which caused him to cover his mouth. This action caused Dean to snort; however, he wasn’t laughing when he was pulled into a hug. The hug lasted about thirty seconds before Cas pulled away, though he placed both his hands on Dean’s shoulders.

“Dean, that is amazing. I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you, there is just one problem.”

“What?” Dean began to look everywhere except for Cas’s eyes. He really didn’t want to admit his worries but he trusted Cas.

“ I don’t feel as if I will be a good fire chief.” he mumbled, keeping his head down and not meeting Cas’s eyes. The admission was met with silence. After a few seconds, he felt Cas’s hands leave his shoulders and missed the warmth. The surprise came when that warmth transferred to his face; those hands transferred to his face, and pulled his head upward to meet his eyes. Cas looked at him with pity.

“Oh Dean, I am sorry that you feel that way. However, I feel, and others have/will back me up, that you are the best person who could fill Bobby’s shoes and still be your own person. You know this firehouse like the back of your hand. You also are the first to make any of the newbies feel welcomed. Everyone looks to you already when Bobby isn’t on call. So, why not make it official? If anyone gives you any crap for this promotion, you got a whole team behind you ready to kick their asses for you.”

The last line caused Dean to laugh; he couldn’t imagine hum hurting a fly. They held that position for a couple of seconds. Cas’s phone went off before either could say anything. Looking at his phone he rolled his eyes before saying: “Dude can’t take a hint.”

“Do I need to go beat someone up for you?”

Chuckling, Cas said “No, just a blind date that went terribly wrong. My brother has got to stop setting me up with every guy at his work.”

“Wait, I didn’t know that -”

“Yes. I don’t talk about it much because I’ve had previous bad experiences in terms of being open with people.” Cas said, now not meeting Dean’s eyes. This broke Dean’s heart; who hurt this angel?

“Alright, I need their names right now. Sam, I, Bobby, and Garth are going to visit these people and teach them a lesson.” he said in a completely serious tone.

Lightly pushing the other man but laughing, Cas gave Dean his brightest grin and mumbled a small thank you. Dean flashed him one back, and opened his arms incase ( hoped) wanted a hug. He all but fell into Dean’s arms, pulling him close. Both held onto each other as if they were each other's life preserves. A thought popped into Dean’s head; he had a chance. Bobby maybe right, huh. Deciding to take a chance, Dean leaped.

“Cas, I-” A loud alarm sounded off and cut him off. Both men internally groaned as they separated to get ready for the call. Dean got ready in record time, got into the truck and moved to the front to drive; Cas moved into the shotgun. The rest of the crew was right behind him. They took off, unaware of how the call was going to go. While this was normal, it still didn’t make it any less nerve racking. House fires were the calls that Dean hated the most due to all the variables that had to be accounted for. Warmth reached his shoulder; looking down, he saw it was once again Cas giving him the strength he needed. Neither saw the knowing looks from the crew in the back of the truck.

When they arrived at the sight, the house was already blazing; everyone dove into their usual positions. Dean lost sight of Cas when the men went their separate ways. Cas with Jo and Jack to start rescue efforts while Dean helped the rest of the crew setting up the hoses and making sure that it was only the house that was on fire. Everything was going well, in fact too well Dean thought. The paramedics got there in record time, and set up was done in record time as well. The flames were nearly under control, except for one part of the house. The roof was what worried Dean the most; since the house was slightly older, it looked like at a distance to be made of really flammable material. What also made him nervous was the fact that Cas and J2 weren’t back yet. He quickly made a head-count of everyone still outside while starting to get the extra gear needed for the house on. Once he had his gear on, he made his way over to Donna and Jody.

“Hey, guys. I’m going to go in and see if the crew needs any help. Use radio if you see them before I do.”

“Roger.” they both said. Dean turned toward the house when Jo and Jack came stumbling out the house holding onto two little boys. Sight of the boys almost Dean into a flashback but, he snapped out of it when he realized that Cas wasn’t with them. He quickly made his way over to the group. Seeing that Dean was coming over, Jack quickly gave the boy in his arms over to Donna. It was Jo who beat him to the punch.

“Cas was right behind us when one of the kids mentioned a cat. He went back for it.”

Suddenly, the roof collapsed in one section of the house. The noise startled the group for none of the group had seen it start to crumple. After seeing that everyone in front of him was okay, Dean’s mind went straight to Cas. His friend was still not in the house yet; it was never good when a fireman doesn't come out of a flaming building. Shakely, he phoned Cas through the walkie-talkie and prayed the other man would pick up or come outside before he radioed.

“Cas, do you copy?”

Silence.

“Cas, do you copy?”

He was met with silence again. Looking at the team that was surrounding him, they knew that there was no way to stop him from going into the building.

“Alright, Jody and Donna, take the kids. Jo and Jack, follow me. Stay close, don’t want to lose anybody today.”

The trio slowly made their way inside. They kept silent incase Cas yelled for help. Coming to the staircase, Dean motioned for them to start for them to make their way up. Both nodded their heads in agreement. Each step was hotter than the previous do to the flames growing closer, though water soon hit those flames. They had reached the top of the stairs when they heard a quiet meow. Looking at his feet, Dean found a soot covered orange cat. The cat was wheezing in on ground; he quickly scoped the thing up. Grateful for his fire suit, otherwise allergy city, he passed the animal to Jack since Jo was also allergic to cats. Jack slowly made his way back outside, cat in tow and leaving Dean with only one partner.

However, this was okay because this decreased the chance of someone getting hurt. Anyway, the duo started to make their way down the hallway. There was five doors with two spilt on both sides and one at the end of the hallway. Each opened a door on their sides; once seeing Cas wasn’t there, they moved to next. When they got to the final door, Dean went in first. What he saw was going to give him nightmares for the rest of his days. Cas was in the fetal position with various pieces of roof on him and was unconscious. The pair raced over to him, hoping that he wasn’t dead. When they got closer, his eyes were closed.

“Cas.” Dean nearly pleaded and placed a hand on his shoulder while Jo started to clear off the roof of him.

“Dean what,-” Cas said as he slowly opened his eyes. He started to try and get up but couldn’t because of the pieces of the roof. His eyes looked scared as if he was afraid he was going to die. Dean wasn’t going to let him die, not on his watch. Hearing a pained hiss, he snapped back to the task at hand of providing comfort to his friend.

“Hey, hey. It's okay we are here” he said trying to cup his face but couldn’t because of the face and mask. He decided that he would do his best to comfort his friend and would be keeping him focused on him. Quickly, Dean and Jo both helped Cas to his feet. Once he was on his feet, it was clear that Cas was going to need help walking. Dean was just about to ask Jo to shift her section of Cas to him when she seamlessly did that. Weight felt next to nothing since he was still standing and able to walk with his arm around Dean’s shoulder.

“You got him?”

“Yes, you got the front?”

“Yes, lets go.” The trio slowly made their way back through the hallway. The fire was near gone but the smoke leftover was making the journey back more dangerous than before. The creeks in the staircase were also sending off warning bells. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, Dean and Jo breathed a sigh of relief. They started to make their way toward the front when suddenly they all heard more cracking. Dean looked up and saw various parts of the roof starting to cave in. Thinking quickly, he pushed Jo forward toward the door and took multiple steps with Cas.

“DEAN!” Jo screamed.

“We are okay, going to try the back door.” Dean said. Jo gave him a quick thumbs up before dashing out front to get more help. Dean turned them both around and headed toward the back door he had seen earlier. Cas was leaning more on him with each step, which encouraged Dean to run faster. Thankfully, the door was insight. Practically sprinting the last bit, Dean ran into the door causing it to fall to the ground. Once they were outside, both fell into the grass.

“Man that was a close one, right Cas?”

Silence

“Cas?”

More silence; Dean looked over and saw that his friend's eyes closed again. What scared him was that he wasn’t moving, not even his chest. Years of training took over in that moment; he rushed over and removed Cas’s helmet along with his mask. His lips weren’t blue yet which was a great sign, but Dean didn’t feel any air coming out of his lungs, so he began cpr. Their first kiss shouldn’t have been like this. It should’ve been done after a rainstorm, or their first date, or even after Dean finally gathered the courage. Not with Dean having to count the beats per minute, and pleading with God for not to take him too. The gasp of life and the cough that came after was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. He quickly helped Cas to his side to help him breathe better.

“There we go, get some of that nice fresh air in those beautiful lungs of yours.” After finishing coughing and being able to catch his breath, Cas looked up at Dean. Neither said anything for a moment as they knew that other team members were coming soon. However, both knew that several things had changed in that moment. They both knew that they would have to talk about this but couldn’t right now with other ears around. Now, all they could do is look at each other. Less than a minute later, Jo came running around the corner with the paramedics and other firefighters. The pair were separated while the paramedics did their health checks.

When Dean was cleared, he quickly made his way over to Jody who was the second in command after him. She looked relieved to see him walking around.

“Is the family all okay?” he asked about getting right into the business.

“Yes, they are going to stay with a family down the road.” she said.

“That’s good.”

“Yes.”

“Listen Jody, I shouldn't-”

“ If you are about to say what I think you are about to say, I will smack you right up the side of your head. Dean, you went to save one of your own while also bringing help and not going rouge cowboy. You did it safely and got everyone out alive. It shows how much you have grown and what type of leader you will be.” she said, shooting him a knowing look. It took Dean a minute to realize where she got the info from. Bobby and Jody had been dancing around each other for years, heck since Dean was a kid. They didn’t act on it because of the pain of their first partner's deaths. He was elated for them; they deserved it. Plus, it was like mom and dad finally getting together.

“So, when is your guy's first date?” he asked with a knowing smirk.

“It's next Thursday, and you will breathe to know one. Yet anyway.” she said not meeting his eyes.

Dean was about to ask her more questions when he saw movement in the corner of his eyes. The paramedics were wheeling Cas quickly into the ambulance. He had an oxygen mask on; his eyes were looking around and not focused on anything. Panic coursed through Dean. Had Cas gotten worse since Dean left him? Was he dying? Dean shot a quick look to Jody.

“Go, we got this.” Jody said.

Dean said “thank you” before running over to the ambulance and jumping into it. Once in the ambulance, he quickly moved out the paramedics way and towards the front, sitting to the right of Cas. Wanting to ask about his condition but not wanting to distract the paramedics, he turned his attention to Cas. The man was quietly crying so Dean took his hand and started to stroke his hair. Cas looked at him and tried to give a simile, but it appeared to be painful to do so. The next fifteen were spent with Dean trying to comfort Cas the best he could.

* * *

When they got to the hospital, Dean still held onto his hand while the paramedics got him out of the ambulance. Too soon, they wheeled him into a section of the hospital that Dean couldn’t go. So he gave Cas’s hand one more squeeze before letting go. He kept eye contact with him until the doors separated them. Dean decided his next course of action would be to wait for a doctor to update. Finding an empty chair close to the door, he sat down and sent a silent thank you to the God above that Cas made it this far. After a few minutes passed, he sent an update to the team about Cas condition. He also called two of Cas' siblings, Gabe and Anna, to let them know what had happened along with the fact he was okay as now. They both lived on the other side of the country, so they wouldn’t be able to visit until tomorrow at the earliest. After completing the call, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

“Dude, you look like hell.” a voice said after a few minutes

“Well, hello to you too.” Dean said before opening eyes and wiping his face.

Sam smirked before sitting down next to him. He then handed Dean a coffee from the local café, which Dean greatly appreciated and needed. “

Not that I am not glad you are here, but why are you here?” Dean asked after a few sips.

“The crew decided that I should be here with you since the rest of them have to stay on call. They also wanted me to update you on some things that were discovered after you left.”

“That’s never good.”

“Pff-, usually you are right on that. Today, however, it is a mix of good, bad, and mix.”

“Alright, hit with the good first.”

“Well, the family all made it out with just scraps and bruises. They went to the hospital to double check everything. They also have family to stay with while they sort everything else out.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, definitely. The mix is regards to Cas. Cas’s air tank was damaged by some of the roofing causing his air tank to become empty. If you guys had gotten to him even a few minutes, he wouldn’t have made it. The team thinks that the manufacturer messed up, and Bobby is currently on the phone otherwise he would be here too” Sam said.

“ What’s the bad?”

“You got dish duty next week.” Dean gave him a joking shove while smiling. Though he would never admit out loud, he was glad that Sam was here. He was the only one besides Bobby who could understand the worry associated with fires and the cause.

“Seriously, I wouldn’t be laughing. You know how many dishes they make in a night. 

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

At that moment, Sam’s phone went off. He rolled his eyes before stepping away to answer the call. It was also in this moment that Dean knew why the team sent Sam in their place. And he couldn’t be more grateful. To his right, he heard the doors open. He looked and saw one of the doctors, Meg, step out. Meg was one of the doctors who had a great bedside manner but wasn’t afraid to lay into people who crossed a line, mainly if they even considered hurting any of her patients. She also was one to cut right to the chase, which helped Dean’s anxiety. He got up and made his way towards her.

“Meg, how-”

“How’s you angel? Good, all things considered. I’m keeping him here just to make sure that there are no surprises.”

“Can I see him?”

“Yes, he might be asleep. I can take you to him.” she said with a knowing smirk, to which he shot her a shy smile back.

“Thanks doc.” he said as Sam came back over.

“What I’d miss?” Sam asked, sliding his phone back in his pocket.

“Cas is going to be okay. Just going to stay here for the night.” Dean said.

“Wonderful, I’ll update the team for you and let them know the great news. I unfortunately can’t stay; Rowena needs help with a case.” he said.

“Go, go. I’ll be okay. Keep saving the world and thank you.” The brothers quickly hugged before Sam took off.

“Dean, are you ready. Don’t have all night you know.” Meg said leaning against the door pane.

“Right. Sorry.” Dean said with a grimace before heading in her direction. Together the pair made their way past the doors. The hallways were quiet for an afternoon but Dean was paying no mind. It only focused on one thing: Cas. Even though Meg said that he was okay, a lot can change within a few minutes, seconds even. Before he could vocalize those fears, they were outside Cas’s room.

“ You're lucky that you're one of the favorites, otherwise I’d tell you that you have one hour. Push the call button if anything changes with Cas.” Meg said with a smirk. 

“Thank you Meg.”

“No problem, now go get him tiger.” Meg said before heading down the hallway.

Dean faced the door and took a breath before opening up the door. When entered the room, he saw that Cas was sleeping peacefully in a blue hospital gown. He had a couple of soot marks around his face along with two band aids but, otherwise he looked beautiful. Still beautiful Cas. He moved further into the room and took a seat to Cas’s left. He poked Cas in his side. When he got no reaction, he did again.

“Dean. That’s annoying please stop” Cas said with no mirth and opening his eyes.

“Sorry. Couldn’t help it. You are just so poke able.” Dean said, flashing him his Flynn Rider grin. Cas shot him a grin back before trying to sit up; he grimaced in pain so Dean quickly got up from his chair, and helped him sit up. “

Thanks.” Cas mumbled not looking Dean in his eyes. 

"No problem. Now that you're awake, let me help you get cleaned up.” He quickly moved to the sink and grabbed a towel. After wetting it, he quickly made his back over to the bed; he sat on the bed in order to get a better angle of Cas. Neither said anything while Dean washed his face. Both were deep in thought of the events that had happened today. Both didn’t need reminders of the dangers or risks of being a firefighter; that didn’t mean however, that it didn’t scare them. However, it did also help one of them realize that life was precious. Before Dean could move back to the chair, Cas grabbed his arm. Their eyes met and both saw the pain that the other was feeling. After a few moments, Cas gently pulled Dean onto the bed. Dean laid his head on Cas’s chest while the other man put his arm around Dean’s back. After a few seconds, he began to stroke Dean’s hair. It almost broke Dean.

“Please don’t scare me like that again.” he mumbled with tears pricking his eyes.

“No promises, but I’ll try.” Cas said.

Dean gave him a small small that quickly disappeared. Seeing the change in the man, Cas decided to try and change the subject.

“You never told me why you became a firefighter.” he asked, not knowing the conquests of the question. Dean sighed; this was going to be a really fun day wasn’t. Nevertheless, he had to tell Cas. He took a breath and said:

“It was because of my mom. I haven’t told you about her before have I ?”

Cas shook his head no.

“Well, she was an amazing woman. She made my bio-dad a better man; she got him to stop drinking. When I was four and Sammy was six months old, a fire broke out in the house. Dad placed Sammy in my arms and told me to get outside. He tried to find her but couldn’t and himself was pulled out by firemen. They found her trapped in the basement. Unfortunately, she didn’t make it. I vowed when I was younger that I would do my best to make sure that no family would go through what our family went through.” Dean said tears lightly going down his face.

“The family today they- crud. Dean, I'm so sorry.” Cas said a few tears cascading down his face as well.

“ Hey, hey. It's okay; you had no idea. Heck, you are the only one except for Bobby and Sam who know the truth.” Dean said sitting up. He quickly took Cas’s face in his hands and wiped away the few tears left. Once completed, Dean looked into Cas’s eyes. It was this moment that time stopped for them. Both looked at each other's lips. They moved in slowly as if fearful the other would pull away; neither did. The kiss was soft and salty. It was perfect for them. The only reason they stopped was the need for air. They placed each other's foreheads against each other, just taking in the moment.

“The roadhouse or Garth’s?” Cas asked

“Huh?”

“For our first date.”

“Either works for me long as I am with you.” Dean said before going in for another kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't get out of my head Dean and Cas being firefighters. So, this it. I will be doing the cliched "Rewirte the ending cause it sucked" fic soon, though probably not until next year. I also think I hit a million words with this fic. Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
